Puran Poli

The perfect preparation of puran poli is considered a highly-skilled task… an art actually! unlike maharashtrian puran poli which uses chana dal, the gujarati version makes use of toovar dal. In Andhra pradesh (bobbatlu or bakshalu) and other places, even moong dal or Chana dal is used, even a mix of lentils is used in some recipe. Boli in Tamil Nadu is a golden yellow sweet pancake from South India. It is eaten during a traditional Sadhya along with Payasam. Its unique flavour and characteristic aroma can be attributed to the special indian spices used.

Preparation time: 30 min
Serving for 3 people.

Ingredients

For The Dough

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
• 2 tbsp oil

For The Filling

• 1 cup toovar (arhar) dal
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder

Other Ingredients

• whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) for rolling
• ghee for smearing

Method:

1. Combine the flour and oil in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using enough water.
2. Combine the dal with 1½ cups of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
3. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
4. Drain any excess water and mash the dal lightly using the back of the spoon.
5. Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the dal and sugar and cook on a medium flame for 20 minutes or till the mixture thickens, while stirring continuously.
6. Add the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, mix well.
7. Cool slightly and divide it into 15 equal portions. Keep aside.
8. Roll out one portion of the dough into a samll circle.
9. Place a portion of the filling in the centre and fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges together to seal the filling in.
10. Flatten the dough and roll again into a circle, using a little wheat flour for rolling.
11. Cook on a tava (griddle) over a medium flame till it turns golden brown in colour on both the sides.
12. Smear a little ghee on each puran poli and serve hot with Gujrati Kadhi.